Solid-state imaging apparatus and electronic device

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a solid-state imaging apparatus including: a semiconductor base; a photodiode created on the semiconductor base and used for carrying out photoelectric conversion; a pixel section provided with pixels each having the photodiode; a first wire created by being electrically connected to the semiconductor base for the pixel section through a contact section and being extended in a first direction to the outside of the pixel section; a second wire made from a wiring layer different from the first wire and created by being extended in a second direction different from the first direction to the outside of the pixel section; and a contact section for electrically connecting the first and second wires to each other.

BACKGROUND

The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging apparatus and anelectronic device employing the apparatus.

In a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) solid-state imagingapparatus, a wire for supplying a voltage to pixels is created in afirst wiring layer extended in a vertical or horizontal direction. Formore information, refer to documents such as Japanese Patent Laid-openNo. 2004-104203.

FIG. 13 is a diagram roughly showing a typical top view of a CMOSsolid-state imaging apparatus having a configuration of related art.

As shown in FIG. 13, each pixel includes a photodiode (PD) 51, afloating diffusion (FD) 52 and a transistor (TR) section 53. A number ofsuch pixels are laid out in the vertical and horizontal directions toform a configuration. The transistor section 53 includes an amplifytransistor, a select transistor and a reset transistor.

Between the photodiode 51 and the floating diffusion 52, a read gate 54is provided. A wire 61 is created on the read gate 54.

The floating diffusion 52 and the transistor section 53 are connected toeach other by a wire 63 provided on the left side of the photodiode 51.On the left side of the wire 63, a ground wire 64 extended in thevertical direction is provided. The ground wire 64 is connected to asemiconductor base by a contact section 65.

The ground wire 64 receives a ground electric potential also referred toas an earth electric potential from an external source so that theelectric potential appearing on the semiconductor base is fixed at theearth electric potential.

The wires 61 and 63 as well as the ground wire 64 are each created as afirst wiring layer which is a metallic-wiring layer. The first wiringlayer is connected to a second wiring layer, which is also ametallic-wiring layer, through a contact section. However, theconnection of the first wiring layer to the second wiring layer is notshown in the figure.

SUMMARY

In the configuration shown in FIG. 13, the ground wire 64 is stretchedin the vertical direction. In a configuration including a ground wirestretched in the horizontal direction and a configuration including aground wire stretched in the vertical direction as is the case with theconfiguration shown in the figure, when a portion of the ground wire isinadvertently broken, the configuration will undesirably include a pixelrow and/or a pixel column in which the electric potentials of thesemiconductor bases are not fixed at the earth electric potential.

Thus, a vertical or horizontal line may be generated on an image in somecases. In addition, a shading or the like may be generated on the screenin some cases due to a weakened state in which the semiconductor base isfixed at the earth electric potential. When these phenomena occur, thephenomena become causes of a deteriorating image quality and a reducedyield.

It is thus desired to provide a solid-state imaging apparatus having aconfiguration capable of improving the image quality and increasing theyield. It is also desired to provide an electronic device employing thesolid-state imaging apparatus.

A solid-state imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of thepresent technology includes: a semiconductor base; a photodiode createdon the semiconductor base and used for carrying out photoelectricconversion; and a pixel section provided with pixels each having thephotodiode.

In addition, the solid-state imaging apparatus also includes a firstwire created by being electrically connected to the semiconductor basefor the pixel section through a contact section and being extended in afirst direction to the outside of the pixel section.

On top of that, the solid-state imaging apparatus also includes a secondwire made from a wiring layer different from the first wire and createdby being extended in a second direction different from the firstdirection to the outside of the pixel section.

The solid-state imaging apparatus further includes a contact section forelectrically connecting the first and second wires to each other.

An electronic device according to another embodiment of the presenttechnology includes an optical system, the solid-state imaging apparatusdescribed above and a signal processing circuit for processing signalsoutput by the solid-state imaging apparatus.

As described above, the configuration of the solid-state imagingapparatus according to the embodiment of the present technologyincludes: a first wire created by being extended in a first direction tothe outside of the pixel section and being electrically connected to asemiconductor base by a contact section; and a second wire created bybeing extended in a second direction different from the first directionto the outside of the pixel section and being electrically connected tothe first wire by the contact section.

Thus, even if either the first wire or the second wire is broken, it ispossible to provide an electric potential to the semiconductor basethrough the other one of the first wire and the second wire.

In addition, since the first and second wires are electrically connectedto each other, the resistance of these wires for supplying an electricpotential to the semiconductor base is reduced.

As described above, the configuration of the electronic device accordingto the embodiment of the present technology includes the solid-stateimaging apparatus according to the embodiment of the present technology.Thus, even if either the first or second wire of the solid-state imagingapparatus is broken, it is possible to provide an electric potential tothe semiconductor base through the other one of the first wire and thesecond wire. In addition, since the first and second wires areelectrically connected to each other, the resistance of these wires forsupplying an electric potential to the semiconductor base can bereduced.

As described above, in accordance with the embodiments of the presenttechnology, there is provided a configuration including: a first wirecreated by being extended in a first direction to the outside of thepixel section and being electrically connected to a semiconductor baseby a contact section; and a second wire made from a wiring layerdifferent from the first wire and created by being extended in a seconddirection different from the first direction to the outside of the pixelsection and being electrically connected to the first wire by thecontact section.

Thus, even if either the first wire or the second wire is broken, it ispossible to provide an electric potential to the semiconductor basethrough the other one of the first wire and the second wire.

As a result, the electric potential of the semiconductor base can besustained at a fixed level so that it is possible to improve the imagequality and increase the yield.

In addition, in accordance with the embodiments of the presenttechnology, the resistance of these wires for supplying an electricpotential to the semiconductor base can be reduced. It is thus possibleto strengthen the electric potential of the semiconductor base.Therefore, it is possible to eliminate characteristic variations frompixel to pixel on the screen and get rid of shadings of the screen so asto improve the image quality and increase the yield.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a rough configuration of a solid-stateimaging apparatus according to a first embodiment or a diagram showing acircuit configuration of main components employed in the solid-stateimaging apparatus;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing top views of layouts ofrespectively first and second ground wires shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a perspective (overhead) view of portionsconnecting the first and second ground wires to each other;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross section of the vicinity of afloating diffusion in the solid-state imaging apparatus according to thefirst embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a top view of main components employed inthe solid-state imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a top view of main components employed inthe solid-state imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a top view of main components employed inthe solid-state imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a top view of main components employed inthe solid-state imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a top view of main components employed inthe solid-state imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a rough configuration of a solid-stateimaging apparatus according to a second embodiment or a diagram showinga circuit configuration of main components employed in the solid-stateimaging apparatus;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a rough configuration of a solid-stateimaging apparatus according to a third embodiment or a diagram showing acircuit configuration of main components employed in the solid-stateimaging apparatus;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a rough configuration of anelectronic device according to a fourth embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a diagram roughly showing a typical top view of a CMOSsolid-state imaging apparatus having a configuration of related art; and

FIG. 14A is a diagram showing waveforms of rectangular input pulseswhereas FIG. 14B is a diagram showing waveforms of actual pulses.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present technology are described below. Itis to be noted that the description is divided into the followingtopics:

-   -   1. First Embodiment (Solid-State Imaging Apparatus)    -   2. Second Embodiment (Solid-State Imaging Apparatus)    -   3. Third Embodiment (Solid-State Imaging Apparatus)    -   4. Fourth Embodiment (Electronic Device)

1. First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a rough configuration of a solid-stateimaging apparatus according to a first embodiment or a diagram showing acircuit configuration of main components employed in the solid-stateimaging apparatus. FIG. 1 shows a circuit configuration of a verticalcolumn of pixels included in a pixel section of the solid-state imagingapparatus. The embodiment applies the present technology to a CMOSsolid-state imaging apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, the solid-state imaging apparatus according to thefirst embodiment is configured to include pixels each including aphotodiode (PD) 1, a floating diffusion (FD) 2 and a transistor(TR)section 3 having pixel transistors which are each a MOS transistor.

The photodiode 1 is created in a semiconductor base made of asemiconductor material such as silicon. The photodiode 1 serves as aphotoelectric conversion section for carrying out a photoelectricconversion process of converting incident light into electric charge.

A typical semiconductor base has any one of configurations including asemiconductor substrate single body, a semiconductor substrate with anepitaxial layer created thereon and a semiconductor layer created onanother substrate.

The floating diffusion 2 is typically an N-type impurity area created ina semiconductor base. The floating diffusion 2 serves as anelectric-charge accumulating section for accumulating electric chargeobtained as a result of the photoelectric conversion process carried outby the photodiode 1.

A transfer gate 4 is provided between the photodiode 1 and the floatingdiffusion 2. The transfer gate 4 is gate for transferring electriccharge obtained as a result of the photoelectric conversion processcarried out by the photodiode 1 to the floating diffusion 2.

The transistor section 3 typically includes at least one of pixeltransistors such as a reset transistor, an amplify transistor and aselect transistor.

In this embodiment, two adjacent pixels each having a photodiode 1 sharea floating diffusion 2 and a transistor section 3 which are common tothe photodiodes 1. Let the two adjacent pixels be referred to hereafteras upper-side and lower-side pixels respectively.

The floating diffusion 2 is provided between the two photodiodes 1included in the upper-side and lower-side pixels respectively.

The transistor section 3 is provided on the lower side of thephotodiodes 1 included in the upper-side and lower-side pixelsrespectively and electrically connected to the floating diffusion 2 by awire 13.

The transfer gate 4 of the upper-side pixel of the two adjacent pixelsis connected to a first control line 11 whereas the transfer gate 4 ofthe lower-side pixel of the two adjacent pixels is connected to a secondcontrol line 12.

In the same way as the ground wire 64 of the configuration of relatedart shown in FIG. 13, a first ground wire 14 is provided and stretchedin the vertical direction in FIG. 1.

In this embodiment, a second ground wire 15 is further provided andstretched in the horizontal direction in FIG. 1. The second ground wire15 is electrically connected to the first ground wire 14 to form aground line.

A ground electric potential also referred to hereafter as an earthelectric potential is supplied to the first ground wire 14 and thesecond ground wire 15.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing top views of layouts ofrespectively the first ground wire 14 and the second ground wire 15which are shown in FIG. 1. To be more specific, FIG. 2A shows the layoutof the first ground wires 14 whereas FIG. 2B shows the layout of thesecond ground wires 15.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the first ground wires 14 are stretched in thevertical direction from a pixel section to upper and lower peripheralsections outside the pixel section and connected to the peripheralsections.

As shown in FIG. 2B, on the other hand, the second ground wires 15 arestretched in the horizontal direction from the pixel section to left andright peripheral sections outside the pixel section and connected to theperipheral sections.

Since the first ground wires 14 and the second ground wires 15 areconfigured as described above, when seen from a location above the firstground wires 14 and the second ground wires 15, the first ground wires14 and the second ground wires 15 appear as wires stretched to form amesh.

In addition, as described above, a ground electric potential alsoreferred to as an earth electric potential is supplied to the firstground wires 14 and the second ground wires 15 from a source external tothe pixel section.

It is to be noted that the peripheral sections shown in FIGS. 2A and 2Bhave circuits including a signal processing circuit for processing anelectrical signal coming from the pixel section. The first ground wires14 and the second ground wires 15 are connected to the circuits in theperipheral sections.

In addition, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a perspective (overhead) viewof portions connecting the first and second ground wires to each other.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the second ground wire 15 is created in thesame layer as the first control line 11 and the second control line 12and provided between the first control line 11 and the second controlline 12.

The first ground wire 14 is created as a first wiring layer which is ametallic wiring layer serving as a lower layer. On the other hand, thesecond ground wire 15 is created as a second wiring layer different fromthe first wiring layer. The second wiring layer is a metallic wiringlayer serving as an upper layer.

The first ground wire 14 is electrically connected to a semiconductorbase 10 by a contact section 17 making use of a via layer provided in aninsulation layer and made of a semiconductor material.

The first ground wire 14 is electrically connected to the second groundwire 15 by a contact section 16 making use of a via layer provided in aninsulation layer and made of a semiconductor material.

In addition, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross section of the vicinityof the floating diffusion 2 in the solid-state imaging apparatusaccording to the first embodiment.

To be more specific, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram showing twoadjacent pixels sharing the floating diffusion 2 and portions existingbetween the pixels.

As shown in FIG. 4, a contact section 18, a wiring layer 20 and acontact section 21 are created sequentially in the upward directionstarting from a lower layer between the transfer gate 4 and the firstcontrol line 11. The contact section 18, the wiring layer 20 and thecontact section 21 connect the transfer gate 4 and the first controlline 11 to each other. By the same token, a contact section 18, a wiringlayer 20 and a contact section 21 are created sequentially in the upwarddirection starting from a lower layer between the transfer gate 4 andthe second control line 12. The contact section 18, the wiring layer 20and the contact section 21 connect the transfer gate 4 and the secondcontrol line 12 to each other. Each of the contact section 18 and thecontact section 21 makes use of a via layer.

In addition, the floating diffusion 2 is connected to the wire 13 shownin FIG. 1 through a contact section 19 making use of a via layer.

The second ground wire 15 is provided above the wire 13, being insulatedfrom the wire 13.

In the same way as the first ground wire 14, each of the wiring layer 20and the wire 13 is created from the first wiring layer which is ametallic wiring layer.

It is to be noted that the cross-sectional diagram of FIG. 4 does notshow a configuration above the first control line 11, the second controlline 12 and the second ground wire 15.

Since the second ground wire 15 is provided between the first controlline 11 and the second control line 12, the second ground wire 15 alsoplays a role as a shield wire for preventing coupling between the firstcontrol line 11 and the second control line 12.

To put it in detail, in order to turn on and off the transfer gate 4, apulse voltage is supplied to each of the first control line 11 and thesecond control line 12. If the first control line 11 and the secondcontrol line 12 are provided at locations adjacent to each other,coupling may occur between the first control line 11 and the secondcontrol line 12 in some cases.

Since a ground electric potential also referred to as an earth electricpotential is supplied to the second ground wire 15 to serve as a fixedelectric potential, however, the second ground wire 15 also plays a roleas a shield wire for preventing coupling between the first control line11 and the second control line 12.

The following description explains an effect of improving the waveformof a pulse on the transfer gate 4 due to the prevention of the couplingbetween the first control line 11 and the second control line 12.

Consider a case in which rectangular input pulses shown in FIG. 14A aresupplied sequentially to the transfer gates of two adjacent pixelssharing a floating diffusion. In the following description, the twoadjacent pixels are also referred to as upper and lower pixelsrespectively.

As shown in FIG. 14A, first of all, the rectangular input pulse issupplied to the transfer gate TG1 of the upper pixel. Then, after thefalling edge of the rectangular input pulse supplied to the transfergate TG1 of the upper pixel, the other rectangular input pulse issupplied to the transfer gate TG2 of the lower pixel.

With the configuration of related art in which the ground wire iscreated as one layer, for a case in which two pixels share a floatingdiffusion, two control lines each used for supplying a voltage to thetransfer gate of one of the pixels are stretched adjacently to eachother. Thus, coupling may occur between these two control lines in somecases. When such coupling occurs, the waveforms of the actually obtainedpulses are distorted as shown in FIG. 14B. To be more specific, thefalling edge of the waveform for the upper pixel changes because thefalling edge is affected by the rising edge of the rectangular pulse forthe lower pixel. On the other hand, the electric potential of the lowerpixel swings due to the effect of the rising edge of the rectangularpulse for the upper pixel.

As described above, when coupling occurs between the two control lines,the waveforms of the voltage pulses deteriorate. It is thus feared thatdriving cannot be carried out correctly. In addition, in order todecrease the effect of the coupling on the waveforms of the voltagepulses, it is necessary to increase the width of the voltage pulses andthe gap between the voltage pulses. Thus, it is difficult to carry outthe high-speed driving.

In the configuration according to this embodiment, on the other hand,the second ground wire 15 prevents the coupling between the firstcontrol line 11 and the second control line 12. That is to say, thesecond ground wire 15 functions as a shield wire. Thus, it is possibleto substantially decrease changes of the actual-pulse waveforms from theinput-pulse waveforms shown in FIG. 14A.

As a result, it is possible to obtain actual-pulse waveforms which areabout identical with the input-pulse waveforms shown in FIG. 14A.

Next, by referring to top-view diagrams of FIGS. 5 to 9, the followingdescription explains typical cubic structures of the solid-state imagingapparatus according to this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a top-view diagram showing a semiconductor area of thesemiconductor base 10, a poly-crystal silicon layer on the semiconductorbase 10 and contact sections provided thereon. The semiconductor base 10is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The transfer gate 4 is created from the poly-crystal silicon layer. Thecontact section 18 shown in FIG. 4 is created on the transfer gate 4.

The contact section 19 shown in FIG. 4 is created on the floatingdiffusion 2.

The contact sections 17 shown in FIG. 3 are created on sides moreexternal than the photodiodes 1 on the left and right sides of thefloating diffusion 2. The contact section 17 connects the semiconductorbase 10 and the first ground wire 14 to each other.

The transistor section 3 includes a reset transistor RST, an amplifytransistor AMP and a select transistor SEL which are created andarranged in a direction from the left to the right.

The reset transistor RST is configured to include a reset gate electrode6 and source/drain areas. The reset gate electrode 6 serving as the gateelectrode of the reset transistor RST is made from a poly-crystalsilicon layer whereas the source/drain area is made from an impurityarea 5 in the semiconductor base 10.

By the same token, the amplify transistor AMP is configured to includean amplify gate electrode 7 and source/drain areas. The amplify gateelectrode 7 serving as the gate electrode of the amplify transistor AMPis made from a poly-crystal silicon layer whereas the source/drain areais made from the impurity area 5 in the semiconductor base 10.

In the same way, the select transistor SEL is configured to include aselect gate electrode 8 and source/drain areas. The select gateelectrode 8 serving as the gate electrode of the select transistor SELis made from a poly-crystal silicon layer whereas the source/drain areais made from the impurity area 5 in the semiconductor base 10.

The reset transistor RST and the amplify transistor AMP share one of thesource/drain areas.

By the same token, the amplify transistor AMP and the select transistorSEL also share one of the source/drain areas. A contact section 22connected to an upper-layer wire is created for the impurity areas 5allocated to the source/drain areas other than the source/drain areashared by the amplify transistor AMP and the select transistor SEL andfor the gate electrodes 6, 7 and 8.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a top view of a first wiring layer, which isa metallic wiring layer, and contact sections created on the layer. Itis to be noted that FIG. 6 also shows the photodiodes 1 and the floatingdiffusions 2 in order to make positional relations with other figureseasy to understand. In addition, each wire is hatched in order to makethe wire distinguishable from other wires and other components.

On the left and right sides of the photodiode 1, the first ground wires14 are created and stretched in the vertical direction. At the left andright positions of the floating diffusion 2 of the first ground wire 14,contact sections 16 to be connected to the second ground wires 15 arecreated. In addition, at the left and right positions of the center ofthe photodiode 1, contact sections 24 to be connected to the upperwiring layer are created.

The wire 13 of the floating diffusion 2 is extended to the transistorsection 3 through the left side of the photodiode 1 and connected to theamplify gate electrode 7 in the transistor section 3 through the contactsection 22 shown in FIG. 5. In addition, this wire 13 is also connectedto the left-side source/drain area of the reset transistor RST of thetransistor section 3 through the contact section 22 shown in FIG. 5.

The source/drain area shared by the reset transistor RST and the amplifytransistor AMP is connected to a wiring layer 23 through the contactsection 22 shown in FIG. 5. It is to be noted that the wiring layer 23connected to the source/drain area shared by the reset transistor RSTand the amplify transistor AMP is created to reach a location above theamplify gate electrode 7 on the right side. However, the wiring layer 23is not connected to the amplify gate electrode 7.

The select gate electrode 8 is connected to another wiring layer 23through the contact section 22 shown in FIG. 5. It is to be noted thatthe other wiring layer 23 connected to the select gate electrode 8 iscreated to reach a location above the amplify gate electrode 7 on theleft side. However, the other wiring layer 23 is not connected to theamplify gate electrode 7 and the source/drain area shared with theamplify transistor AMP.

The reset gate electrode 6 is connected to a further wiring layer 23. Bythe same token, the right-side source/drain area of the selecttransistor SEL is connected to a still further wiring layer 23.

For each of the wiring layers 23, a contact section 24 for a connectionto the upper wiring layer is created.

On the transfer gate 4, the wiring layer 20 shown in FIG. 4 and thecontact section 21 on the wiring layer 20 are created. It is to be notedthat, in the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the total of the left andright lengths of the wiring layer 20 is about equal to the length of thetransfer gate 4. However, the wiring layer 20 may also be created tohave a total length different from the length of the transfer gate 4.The wiring layer 20 is created and insulated from the first ground wire14 and the wire 13.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a top view of a second wiring layer, whichis a metallic wiring layer, and contact sections created on the layer.It is to be noted that FIG. 7 also shows the photodiodes 1 in order tomake positional relations with other figures easy to understand.

The two adjacent pixels sharing a floating diffusion 2 include upper andlower pixels. On the left and right sides of the photodiode 1 of theupper pixel, a wiring layer 28 and a wiring layer 29 are created. On theleft and right sides of the photodiode 1 of the lower pixel, on theother hand, only the wiring layer 29 is created.

The wiring layer 28 is connected to the wiring layer 23 shown in FIG. 6to serve as a wiring layer connected to the right-side source/drain areaof the select transistor SEL through the contact section 24. In thiswiring layer 28, a contact section 30 for a connection to the upperwiring layer is created.

The wiring layer 29 is connected to the first ground wire 14 shown inFIG. 6 through the contact section 24. The wiring layer 29 is providedto serve as a shield layer for blocking light radiated from the adjacentpixels on the left and right sides to the photodiode 1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in a portion between the upper and lowerlayers, the first control line 11, the second ground wire 15 and thesecond control line 12 are provided in parallel to each other.

In the transistor section 3, each of a select line 25 and a reset line26 is created from the second wiring layer. In addition, a wiring layer27 is created between the select line 25 and the reset line 26.

Through the contact section 24, the select line 25 is connected to thewiring layer 23 shown in FIG. 6 to serve as a wiring layer connected tothe select gate electrode 8 and receives a pulse electric potential pSELfrom an external source.

By the same token, through the contact section 24, the reset line 26 isconnected to the wiring layer 23 shown in FIG. 6 to serve as a wiringlayer connected to the reset gate electrode 6 and receives a pulse resetelectric potential pRST from an external source.

On the other hand, through the contact section 24, the wiring layer 27is connected to the wiring layer 23 shown in FIG. 6 to serve as a wiringlayer connected to the source/drain area shared by the reset transistorRST and the amplify transistor AMP. In the wiring layer 27, a contactsection 30 for a connection to the upper wiring layer is created.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a top view of a third wiring layer, which isa metallic wiring layer, and contact sections created on the layer. Itis to be noted that FIG. 8 also shows the photodiodes 1 in order to makepositional relations with other figures easy to understand.

On the left and right sides of the photodiode 1, vertical signal lines31 are created and stretched in the vertical direction. The verticalsignal line 31 is connected to the wiring layer 28 shown in FIG. 7through a contact section 30.

In the transistor section 3, a wiring layer 32 is created as a planarpattern of a rectangle having a relatively large horizontal length. Thewiring layer 32 is connected to the wiring layer 27 shown in FIG. 7through the contact section 30. The wiring layer 32 is provided also toserve as a shield layer for blocking light radiated from the adjacentpixels on the upper and lower sides to the photodiode 1. In the wiringlayer 32, a contact section 33 for a connection to the upper wiringlayer is created.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a top view of a fourth wiring layer, whichis a metallic wiring layer. It is to be noted that FIG. 9 also shows thephotodiodes 1 in order to make positional relations with other figureseasy to understand.

As shown in FIG. 9, a power-supply line 34 is created from a fourthwiring layer to form a mesh shape in such a way that the power-supplyline 34 surrounds the photodiodes 1 on the upper, lower, left and rightsides. The power-supply line 34 is connected to the wiring layer 32shown in FIG. 8 through a contact section 33.

This power-supply line 34 receives a power-supply electric potential VDDfrom an external source.

By creating the power-supply line 34 to form a mesh shape, it ispossible to block light coming from adjacent pixels on the upper, lower,left and right sides to the photodiodes 1.

It is to be noted that the top-view diagrams of FIGS. 5 to 9 aretop-view diagrams for the so-called front-surface radiation structure ofthe solid-state imaging apparatus according to this embodiment. In thefront-surface radiation structure, a surface on which circuit elementssuch as the transistors of the semiconductor base 10 are formed isprovided on the same side as the incidence surface of light propagatingto the photodiodes 1 of the semiconductor base 10.

In the so-called rear-surface radiation structure of a solid-stateimaging apparatus, on the other hand, the surface on which circuitelements such as the transistors of the semiconductor base 10 are formedis provided on a side opposite to the incidence surface of lightpropagating to the photodiodes 1 of the semiconductor base 10. In therear-surface radiation structure, incidence of light is not preventedeven if a wire exists above the photodiodes 1.

In addition, it is also possible to provide a configuration in which thewiring layer 32 shown in FIG. 8 and the power-supply line 34 shown inFIG. 9 are eliminated whereas a power-supply line is created from athird wiring layer, provided above the photodiodes 1 and stretchedvertically in parallel to the vertical signal line 31.

In the case of the rear-surface radiation structure in such aconfiguration, a wiring layer at the same level as the second metallicwiring layer or above the second metallic wiring layer can be providedarbitrarily as long as the wiring layer does not intersect other layers.

The solid-state imaging apparatus according to this embodiment can bemanufactured by adoption of a commonly known manufacturing method.

It is possible to create the first ground wire 14, the second groundwire 15 and the contact section 16 for connecting the first ground wire14 to the second ground wire 15 by adoption of a commonly known methodfor creating a metallic wiring layer and a via layer.

In accordance with the solid-state imaging apparatus implemented by thisembodiment, for the first ground wire 14 created and stretched in thevertical direction, the second ground wire 15 created and stretched inthe horizontal direction is provided and the first ground wire 14 andthe second ground wire 15 are electrically connected to each other bymaking use of the contact section 16.

Thus, even if either the first ground wire 14 or the second ground wire15 is broken, it is possible to provide an electric potential to thesemiconductor base 10 through the other one of the first ground wire 14and the second ground wire 15.

As a result, the electric potential of the semiconductor base 10 can besustained at a fixed ground level so that it is possible to improve theimage quality and increase the yield.

In addition, since the first ground wire 14 and the second ground wire15 which are created on two layers are electrically connected to eachother, the resistance of the first ground wire 14 and the second groundwire 15 can be reduced. It is thus possible to strengthen the groundelectric potential of the semiconductor base 10. Therefore, it ispossible to eliminate characteristic variations from pixel to pixel onthe screen and get rid of shadings of the screen so as to improve theimage quality and increase the yield.

In addition, in accordance with the solid-state imaging apparatusimplemented by this embodiment, the second ground wire 15 is createdfrom a first wiring layer which is a metallic wiring layer. This firstwiring layer is the same layer as the first control line 11 and thesecond control line 12. In addition, the second ground wire 15 isprovided between the first control line 11 and the second control line12.

Thus, the second ground wire 15 receiving the ground electric potentialserving as a fixed electric potential shields the first control line 11and the second control line 12 which receive their respective pulseelectric potentials. As a result, it is possible to prevent couplingbetween the first control line 11 and the second control line 12.

Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the waveforms of voltage pulsesappearing on the first control line 11 and the second control line 12from being deteriorated by the coupling. As a result, it is possible toreduce the width of the voltage pulses, carry out high-speed driving andincrease the frame rate.

In addition, in accordance with the solid-state imaging apparatusimplemented by this embodiment, two adjacent pixels share a floatingdiffusion 2 and a transistor section 3. Thus, in comparison with ano-sharing configuration, the number of wires connected to thetransistor sections 3 can be made small.

For the reason described above, even if the second ground wire 15 isprovided between the first control line 11 and the second control line12, the total number of wires stretched in the horizontal direction canbe made small in comparison with a configuration in which the floatingdiffusion 2 and the transistor section 3 are not shared by pixels.

In particular, in the case of the front-surface radiation structure, thetotal number of wires stretched in the horizontal direction can be madesmall in comparison with a configuration in which the floating diffusion2 and the transistor section 3 are not shared by pixels. Thus, with fewwires stretched in the horizontal direction, it is possible to allocateat least an equivalent area required by such a configuration to anopening on the photodiode 1. As a result, without reducing thesensitivity, it is possible to sustain the ground electric potential ofthe semiconductor base 10 and prevent the coupling between the firstcontrol line 11 and the second control line 12.

2. Second Embodiment

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a rough configuration of a solid-stateimaging apparatus according to a second embodiment or a diagram showinga circuit configuration of main components employed in the solid-stateimaging apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of two verticalcolumns of pixels in the pixel section of the solid-state imagingapparatus.

This embodiment applies the present technology to a CMOS solid-stateimaging apparatus.

In the solid-state imaging apparatus according to this embodiment, afloating diffusion 2 is shared by two pixels vertically adjacent to eachother whereas a transistor section 3 is shared by two floatingdiffusions 2 horizontally adjacent to each other. That is to say, thepixel section is designed into a configuration in which a transistorsection 3 is shared by four pixels laid out to form a matrix having tworows and two columns.

In this embodiment, the contact sections 16 each used for connecting thefirst ground wire 14 and the second ground wire 15 to each other arecreated on the left and right outer sides of the photodiodes 1 of pixelson the two columns sharing the transistor sections 3.

The number of created transistor sections 3 is adjusted to such a valuethat each of the transistor sections 3 is shared by two adjacent pixelsprovided on a column. The transistor section 3 is created to have ahorizontally long shape in comparison with the first embodiment shown inFIG. 1.

The wire 13 used for connecting the floating diffusion 2 and thetransistor section 3 to each other also connects two floating diffusions2, which are adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, to eachother. The wire 13 is extended to the transistor section 3 through a gapbetween the two photodiodes 1 adjacent to each other in the horizontaldirection.

Since the other configurations are identical with those of the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 1, the other configurations are not explainedagain in the following description in order to avoid duplications ofexplanations.

In accordance with the configuration of the solid-state imagingapparatus implemented by this embodiment, in the same way as the firstembodiment, the first ground wire 14 created and stretched in thevertical direction is electrically connected by the contact section 16to the second ground wire 15 created and stretched in the horizontaldirection.

Thus, even if either the first ground wire 14 or the second ground wire15 is broken, it is possible to provide a ground electric potential tothe semiconductor base 10 through the other one of the first ground wire14 and the second ground wire 15.

As a result, the electric potential of the semiconductor base 10 can besustained at a fixed ground level so that it is possible to improve theimage quality and increase the yield.

In addition, since the first ground wire 14 and the second ground wire15 are electrically connected to each other, the resistance of the firstground wire 14 and the second ground wire 15 can be reduced. It is thuspossible to strengthen the ground electric potential of thesemiconductor base 10. Therefore, it is possible to eliminatecharacteristic variations from pixel to pixel on the screen and get ridof shadings of the screen so as to improve the image quality andincrease the yield.

In addition, in accordance with the configuration of this embodiment,the second ground wire 15 is provided between the first control line 11and the second control line 12 in the same way as the first embodiment.

Thus, the second ground wire 15 receiving the ground electric potentialserving as a fixed electric potential shields the first control line 11and the second control line 12 which receive their respective pulseelectric potentials. As a result, it is possible to prevent couplingbetween the first control line 11 and the second control line 12.

Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the waveforms of voltage pulsesappearing on the first control line 11 and the second control line 12from being deteriorated by the coupling. As a result, it is possible toreduce the width of the voltage pulses, carry out high-speed driving andincrease the frame rate.

In addition, in accordance with the solid-state imaging apparatusimplemented by this embodiment, four adjacent pixels share a transistorsection 3. Thus, in comparison with a no-sharing configuration, thenumber of wires connected to the transistor sections 3 can be madesmall.

For the reason described above, even if the second ground wire 15 isprovided between the first control line 11 and the second control line12, the total number of wires stretched in the horizontal direction canbe made small in comparison with a configuration in which the transistorsection 3 is not shared by pixels.

In particular, in the case of the front-surface radiation structure, thetotal number of wires stretched in the horizontal direction can be madesmall in comparison with a configuration in which the transistor section3 is not shared by pixels. Thus, with few wires stretched in thehorizontal direction, it is possible to allocate at least an equivalentarea required by such a configuration to an opening on the photodiode 1.As a result, without reducing the sensitivity, it is possible to sustainthe ground electric potential of the semiconductor base 10 and preventthe coupling between the first control line 11 and the second controlline 12.

3. Third Embodiment

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a rough configuration of a solid-stateimaging apparatus according to a third embodiment or a diagram showing acircuit configuration of main components employed in the solid-stateimaging apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of one verticalcolumn of pixels in the pixel section of the solid-state imagingapparatus.

This embodiment applies the present technology to a CMOS solid-stateimaging apparatus.

In the solid-state imaging apparatus according to the third embodiment,the floating diffusion 2 and the transistor section 3 are not shared bya plurality of pixels. Instead, each pixel is configured to include afloating diffusion 2 and a transistor section 3.

Thus, a control line connected to the transfer gate 4 is the firstcontrol line 11 only. This first control line 11 and the transfer gate 4are provided on the upper side of the photodiode 1 as shown in thefigure.

In the same way as the configurations shown FIGS. 1 and 13, the wire 13for connecting the floating diffusion 2 and the transistor section 3 toeach other is stretched through the left side of the photodiode 1.

The second ground wire 15 is stretched in the horizontal directionthrough a position between the transistor section 3 included in a pixelprovided on the upper side and the floating diffusion 2 included in apixel provided on the lower side. The second ground wire 15 is createdas a wire parallel to the first control line 11.

In this embodiment, the first control lines 11 are provided at locationsseparated away from each other. Thus, there is no effect exhibited bythe second ground wire 15 to prevent coupling between the two controllines.

However, the second ground wire 15 is provided between the first controlline 11 and wires connected to the transistor section 3 to serve as aselect line and a reset line. Thus, there is an effect of preventingcoupling between the first control line 11 and the wires.

Since the other configurations are identical with those of the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 1, the other configurations are not explainedagain in the following description in order to avoid duplications ofexplanations.

In accordance with the configuration of the solid-state imagingapparatus implemented by this embodiment described above, in the sameway as the first embodiment, the first ground wire 14 created andstretched in the vertical direction is electrically connected by thecontact section 16 to the second ground wire 15 created and stretched inthe horizontal direction.

Thus, even if either the first ground wire 14 or the second ground wire15 is broken, it is possible to provide an electric potential to thesemiconductor base 10 through the other one of the first ground wire 14and the second ground wire 15.

As a result, the electric potential of the semiconductor base 10 can besustained at a fixed ground level so that it is possible to improve theimage quality and increase the yield.

In addition, since the first ground wire 14 and the second ground wire15 are electrically connected to each other, the resistance of the firstground wire 14 and the second ground wire 15 can be reduced. It is thuspossible to strengthen the ground electric potential of thesemiconductor base 10. Therefore, it is possible to eliminatecharacteristic variations from pixel to pixel on the screen and get ridof shadings of the screen so as to improve the image quality andincrease the yield.

The solid-state imaging apparatus according to this embodiment can beapplied to the front-surface radiation structure or the rear-surfaceradiation structure.

In the embodiments described above, the contact section 17 forconnecting the semiconductor base 10 and the first ground wire 14 toeach other is created at the same planar position as the contact section16 for connecting the first ground wire 14 and the second ground wire 15to each other.

However, implementations of the present technology are by no meanslimited to the configuration in which the contact section 17 is createdat the same planar position as the contact section 16. For example, thecontact section 16 and the contact section 17 can be created atpositions separated away from each other in the vertical direction ofFIG. 1.

Each of the embodiments described above has a configuration in which theground wires are the first ground wire 14 configured from a first wiringlayer and stretched in the vertical direction and the second ground wire15 configured from a second wiring layer and stretched in the horizontaldirection.

In accordance with the present technology, however, the ground wires ofthe two layers can have another configuration. For example, the groundwires are a ground wire configured from a first wiring layer andstretched in the horizontal direction and another ground wire configuredfrom a second wiring layer and stretched in the vertical direction.

Each of the embodiments described above has a configuration in which thefirst ground wire 14 and the second ground wire 15 are electricallyconnected to the semiconductor base 10 to provide the semiconductor base10 with a ground electric potential also referred to as an earthelectric potential.

In accordance with the present technology, however, the first and secondground wires electrically connected to the semiconductor base are by nomeans limited to the configuration for providing the semiconductor basewith a ground electric potential. For example, the first and secondground wires electrically connected to the semiconductor base can alsohas a configuration for providing the semiconductor base with anotherelectric potential.

In addition, each of the embodiments described above has a configurationin which pixels are laid out in the vertical and horizontal directionswhereas the ground wires of two layers are stretched in the vertical andhorizontal directions respectively.

In accordance with the present technology, however, it is also possibleto provide a configuration in which pixels are laid out in inclineddirections whereas the ground wires of two layers are stretched in firstand second directions respectively. In this case, the first and seconddirections are inclined directions intersecting each other.

In addition, in accordance with the present technology, the pixel is byno means limited to a rectangular (or quadrangular) shape. That is tosay, the pixel can also be configured to have another shape such as ahexagonal shape.

In addition, a wire does not have to be straight. For example, it isalso possible to provide a configuration in which hexagonal pixels areprovided at locations different from each other whereas a zigzag wire isprovided along the pixels and, as a whole, is stretched in onedirection.

The solid-state imaging apparatus according to the present technologycan be applied to a variety of electronic devices such as a camerasystem, a mobile phone having an imaging function and another devicehaving an imaging function. Typical examples of the camera system are adigital camera and a video camera.

4. Fourth Embodiment (Electronic Device)

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a rough configuration of anelectronic device 121 according to a fourth embodiment.

This embodiment applies the present technology to an electronic device121 having a camera capable of taking a still image and/or a movingimage.

As shown in FIG. 12, the electronic device 121 includes a solid-stateimaging apparatus 122, an optical system 123, a shutter apparatus 124, adriving circuit 125 and a signal processing circuit 126.

The optical system 123 is configured to include an optical lens. Theoptical system 123 creates an image on the pixel section of thesolid-state imaging apparatus 122 on the basis of incident light whichis image light coming from an object of imaging. Thus, signal electriccharge is accumulated in the solid-state imaging apparatus 122 for afixed period of time. The optical system 123 can be an optical-lenssystem including a plurality of optical lenses.

The solid-state imaging apparatus 122 is a solid-state imaging apparatusprovided by the present technology. As described before, the solid-stateimaging apparatus provided by the present technology is a solid-stateimaging apparatus according to any one of the embodiments explainedearlier.

The shutter apparatus 124 controls the period of radiation of light tothe solid-state imaging apparatus 122 and the period of light blocking.

The driving circuit 125 provides the solid-state imaging apparatus 122with a driving signal for controlling signal transfer operations carriedout by the solid-state imaging apparatus 122. In addition, the drivingcircuit 125 also provides the shutter apparatus 124 with a drivingsignal for controlling shutter operations carried out by the shutterapparatus 124. A signal is transferred from the solid-state imagingapparatus 122 to the signal processing circuit 126 in accordance withthe driving signal supplied by the driving circuit 125 to thesolid-state imaging apparatus 122 to serve as a timing signal.

The signal processing circuit 126 carries out various kinds of signalprocessing. A video signal obtained as a result of the execution of thesignal processing is stored in a recording medium such as a memory oroutput to a monitor.

In accordance with the configuration of the electronic device 121implemented by this embodiment as described above, the solid-stateimaging apparatus 122 is a solid-state imaging apparatus provided by thepresent technology. As described before, the solid-state imagingapparatus provided by the present technology is a solid-state imagingapparatus according to any one of the embodiments explained earlier. Itis thus possible to improve the quality of an image generated by thesolid-state imaging apparatus 122 and increase the yield of thesolid-state imaging apparatus 122.

The configuration of an electronic device provided by the presenttechnology is by no means limited to that shown in FIG. 12. That is tosay, the electronic device provided by the present technology can have aconfiguration other than that shown in FIG. 12 as long as theconfiguration includes a solid-state imaging apparatus provided by thepresent technology.

It is to be noted that the present technology can also be realized intothe following implementations:

(1) A solid-state imaging apparatus including:

a semiconductor base;

a photodiode created on the semiconductor base and used for carrying outphotoelectric conversion;

a pixel section provided with pixels each having the photodiode;

a first wire created by being electrically connected to thesemiconductor base for the pixel section through a contact section andbeing extended in a first direction to the outside of the pixel section;

a second wire made from a wiring layer different from the first wire andcreated by being extended in a second direction different from the firstdirection to the outside of the pixel section; and

a contact section for electrically connecting the first and second wiresto each other.

(2) The solid-state imaging apparatus according to implementation (1)wherein a plurality of the pixels share an electric-charge accumulatingsection and a transistor section.

(3) The solid-state imaging apparatus according to implementation (2),the solid-state imaging apparatus further including:

a transfer gate provided between the electric-charge accumulatingsection and the photodiode; and

a control line electrically connected to the transfer gate,

wherein the second wire is provided between any adjacent ones of aplurality of the control lines each electrically connected to thetransfer gate of one of the pixels at an altitude equal to that of thecontrol lines.

(4) The solid-state imaging apparatus according to any one ofimplementations (1) to (3) wherein a source external to the pixelssupplies an earth electric potential to the first and second wires.

(5) An electronic device including an optical system, the solid-stateimaging apparatus according to any one of implementations (1) to (4) anda signal processing circuit for processing signals output by thesolid-state imaging apparatus.

Implementations of the present technology are by no means limited to theembodiments described earlier. That is to say, it is possible to providea variety of configurations in a range not deviating from essentials ofthe present technology.

The present disclosure contains subject matter related to that disclosedin Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2012-085666 filed in theJapan Patent Office on Apr. 4, 2012, the entire content of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A solid-state imaging apparatus comprising: asemiconductor base; a photodiode created on said semiconductor base andused for carrying out photoelectric conversion; a pixel section providedwith pixels each having said photodiode; a first wire created by beingelectrically connected to said semiconductor base for said pixel sectionthrough a contact section and being extended in a first direction to theoutside of said pixel section; a second wire made from a wiring layerdifferent from said first wire and created by being extended in a seconddirection different from said first direction to the outside of saidpixel section; and a contact section for electrically connecting saidfirst and second wires to each other.
 2. The solid-state imagingapparatus according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of said pixels sharean electric-charge accumulating section and a transistor section.
 3. Thesolid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 2, said solid-stateimaging apparatus further comprising: a transfer gate provided betweensaid electric-charge accumulating section and said photodiode; and acontrol line electrically connected to said transfer gate, wherein saidsecond wire is provided between any adjacent ones of a plurality of saidcontrol lines each electrically connected to said transfer gate of oneof said pixels at an altitude equal to that of said control lines. 4.The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a sourceexternal to said pixels supplies an earth electric potential to saidfirst and second wires.
 5. An electronic device comprising: an opticalsystem; a solid-state imaging apparatus having a semiconductor base, aphotodiode created on said semiconductor base and used for carrying outphotoelectric conversion, a pixel section provided with pixels eachhaving said photodiode, a first wire created by being electricallyconnected to said semiconductor base for said pixel section through acontact section and being extended in a first direction to the outsideof said pixel section, a second wire made from a wiring layer differentfrom said first wire and created by being extended in a second directiondifferent from said first direction to the outside of said pixelsection, and a contact section for electrically connecting said firstand second wires to each other; and a signal processing circuit forprocessing signals output by said solid-state imaging apparatus.